Property owner asks Lee County to abandon airport road and sell 1 acre; board does not decide

A property owner and hangar tenant asked the Lee County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 21 to abandon a state-maintained access road to his property and to sell a county-owned 1-acre parcel adjacent to his hangar.

Mark Miklovich, who said he and his son own the former clinic and hangar at the old Lee Airport, told the board that people have repeatedly entered the site, that hangar break-ins have occurred and that the road and county-owned parcel need clearer control and maintenance. “We've had 2 break-ins. I've had $2,000 stolen out of the home, and we've had break ins into the hangar as well,” Miklovich said, describing thefts, damaged property and safety concerns.

Miklovich asked the board to abandon the portion of Airport Road that provides access past a gate near his property so he could install a private gate and limit access; he also requested to purchase an adjacent county-owned acre that he said originally had been part of the airport parcel and might be subject to a repurchase clause in the original deed.

County staff and the board discussed options that VDOT had provided: leave the road as is, install an access gate under a VDOT land-use permit (limited uses), or abandon the road past a turnaround so the county would no longer maintain it. Staff noted deed language may require offering surplus property back to original owners or adjacent landowners before a public sale. One staff member said the deed language in the packet directs that land acquired for the airport be offered back to the original conveyee if the airport was abandoned.

Supervisors expressed differing views. One supervisor opposed closing a state-maintained road, citing concerns that a closed right-of-way is hard to reinstate in the future; others said the road is in poor condition, the county has not maintained it recently and a gate with controlled access could address safety concerns.

The board did not vote to abandon the road, sell county property or grant the requested access changes at the meeting. A motion to sell the property was introduced later in the meeting but was withdrawn; board members said further legal and deed research is required and that a public hearing would be necessary for any abandonment or surplus sale. Staff encouraged board members to visit the site to better understand the access, turnaround and condition of the road.

Miklovich said he and local ham radio volunteers would maintain a repeater on the site and that he would accept conditions allowing emergency services access if the county or public retained rights to use the tower for public safety radios. The board asked staff to research deed restrictions, VDOT requirements and the surplus-property process and to return with options and the steps required for a public hearing if the board wishes to pursue abandonment or sale.